Troup County students observe Georgia Arbor Day

LAGRANGE, Ga. — Berta Weathersbee Elementary School and Gardner Newman Middle School students marked Georgia's Arbor Day this morning with a tree planting ceremony.

A maple tree, donated by Smith Design Group, was planted at each school to honor the students who recently won the Troup TREEmendous essay and art contest.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see how our young people embrace environmentalism,” said Todd Stephens, Troup TREEmendous education chair. “They have a connection with the natural world that adults easily dismiss. When we all start caring about our world like our kids, we can make real progress in conservation and stewardship. They are my heroes.”

Created in March 2009, Troup TREEmendous seeks to preserve the rural character of the county and protect trees.